What began in 2000 with a cross-university digital course offering for students in Bavaria now also reaches those interested in continuing education worldwide. With its 36 supporting universities, the vhb has shaped the educational landscape, far beyond university borders, far beyond Bavaria. It is still a unique model in Europe.

In a video message for the vhb's digital commemorative publication, Science Minister Markus Blume congratulated in advance and emphasized:

'25 years in the digital age, that's an era. The vhb has shown that a virtual campus can be combined with excellent teaching. It has always been a true pioneer in terms of the quality and scope of the courses on offer. Just as teaching is changing and new technologies are being introduced, so too is the vhb. With the vhb, we are excellently positioned in Bavaria. However, it is not only important to look back, but also to look forward: as the Free State of Bavaria, we will continue to actively support the vhb and lead this unique association of universities into a bright future, in the interests of our students in Bavaria.

At the celebratory event in the AULA of the University of Bamberg, Ministerial Director Stephanie Jacobs, the new Head of Office at the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts, conveyed the congratulations of the state government at her first appointment and summed up: "25 years ago, the digital world was in its infancy. The Bavarian universities dared to take the step of rethinking teaching and learning and set up their joint virtual campus with the vhb."

The concept was a success, as the vhb's usage figures show. While there were around 2,000 course enrollments by students in 2000, today there are around 200,000 annually, and more than 2.7 million in total since the vhb was founded.

Jacobs continued: "The vhb stands for new impulses and new approaches to higher education. It is equally successful with its open course offering for all interested parties. Today, OPEN vhb reaches learners in 139 countries. The vhb is a global figurehead and trendsetter, constantly expanding and optimizing its offering. It is a driver of innovation in the higher education landscape. Our investments in teaching are investments in the future."

More than 600 lecturers are involved in the vhb, developing and running online courses for all students in Bavaria or open courses for all interested parties. They are the ones to whom the vhb owes much of its success, because they have been convincing with creative teaching approaches, interactive learning formats and the high quality of their digital teaching since the vhb was founded.

During the ceremony, three awards were presented in each of the three categories "Outstanding support" - CLASSIC vhb (courses for credit towards a university degree), "Outstanding media didactics" - OPEN vhb (open courses for all interested parties) and "Outstanding overall concept/integration into teaching" - SMART vhb (digital learning units).

Click here for the teaching/learning offers of the vhb: https: //www.vhb.org

Source: vhb press release